Nopa Kitchen and Bar to open in early May

Nopa Kitchen and Bar, a new Penn Quarter spot from restaurateur Ashok Bajaj, will open in early May.

Bajaj, who owns Rasika, Bibana, 701 and others, took over the former Zola space in the International Spy Museum building at 800 F St. NW last year.

The restaurateur said he wanted to do something different with Nopa. The restaurant will be a 160-seat, brasserie-style setting with a menu of American fare and a few French touches. Nopa stands for “North of Pennsylvania,” a nod to the restaurant’s location just north of the avenue.

Greg McCarty, who was named executive chef in February, has experience working in some of the world’s top kitchens, including Jean Georges and Nobu 57 in New York and Dune in the Bahamas. The menu includes standards such as steak frites and roast chicken, as well as a country plate with pickled vegetables, a smoked bluefish plate, and rockfish with andouille and fennel broth.